Automatic Batch Posting in Great Plains Microsoft Dynamics Gp Overview

admin    Misc     Automatic, Batch, Dynamics, Great, Microsoft, Overview, Plains, Posting

If you are ecommerce developer and program web site integration with back office accounting system, Microsoft Dynamics GP, then likely you are deploying eConnect SDK software development to move placed orders and customer payments to GP Sales Order Processing module.  eConnect does wonderful job – it creates or updates customer record, creates SOP batch and customer invoice with deposit in the batch created.  So far everything is beautiful, now you need just as small step to accomplish your work, post the batch created right from your e-commerce application, and here you got surprised by understanding that eConnect doesn’t post batches, it doesn’t has this functionality.  We would like to review Autoposting Server, designed and maintained by Alba Spectrum Dexterity development team

 

1.       GP Dexterity Source code involvement in the batch posting.  Dynamics.DIC dictionary has native GP Dexterity functionality to post batch of various origin and in essence all the origins.  However it is not obvious, even for Great Plains Dexterity programmer with decent experience in coding on how to design autopost and how to deploy native Dex posting logic.  GP Autopost resolves this dilemma and all you need to do as programmer is to place batch record into custom batch posting status table

 

2.       Posting all the way automatic from your e-commerce website.  In GP posting path is defined in posting settings.  If you set GP to post SOP invoices all the way through AR module to GP General Ledger – complete automating will be achieved

 

3.       Third Party Add-Ons batch posting.  Add-Ons, designed by GP ISV partners have their own ways to create and post batches within their satellite modules, however when transactions in the posting cycles will reach Great Plains, Dexterity posting process will take over and so there is high chance that Alba Spectrum Autopost will do the job.  We encourage you to check with us

 

4.       Microsoft Dexterity Customizations.  If you need customization design, support or upgrade, we are happy to help you with it through our Microsoft Dexterity Software Development Factory

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Great Plains Consultant: Microsoft Dynamics Gp Data Conversion

admin    Misc     Consultant, Conversion, Data, Dynamics, Great, Microsoft, Plains

Microsoft Great Plains ERP or new name Dynamics GP requires precise approach in implementation, user training, initial data migration and conversion, reporting, EDI and possible customization and interface modification.  Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant selection is often critical to the implementing process success.  In this small publication we would like to review data massage and conversion recommendations and scenarios:

 

1.       Data Export from your legacy ERP or accounting application.  There are few possibilities, and this is dependent on your legacy MRP application platform.  Usually old ERP allows you to export data in tab delimited or comma delimited text file format.  However cheap small business accounting packages might be lacking export tool, and if this is your case, you should export data in the form of reports.  Reports could be further massaged in Excel and then you should come to the next step – Great Plains Integration Manager data import

 

2.       GP Integration Manager.  IM can read text files as well as ODBC data sources.  If you are sort of giving up in using IM and thinking that it doesn’t  work in your case – you should read samples of advanced ODBC data sources.  Advanced ODBC allows you to create advanced SQL Select, group and other aggregated statements.  On MS Windows 2003 Server as well as on Vista or Windows XP workstations Microsoft Text driver has known issues and if you think it doesn’t do the job – we recommend you to call us in order to help you with advanced ODBC driver configuration

 

3.       Excel data massage techniques.  Here you typically process your initial export text file and make needed corrections

 

 

4.       Data Conversion levels.  Ideally you should import GL Chart of Accounts, Master records, such as Customers, Vendors, Employees, then you import your work transactions.  In some cases you need to keep restricted number of open sales invoices while you are awaiting collection or payments

 

5.       Great Plains Historical Data Conversion.  This is what we do not really recommend or at least try to avoid that.  GP History conversion is really tough process.  Plus you will likely going to get data integrity issues while doing future check links in GP

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Microsoft Dynamics Gp 10.0 Great Plains Remote Support – Overview

admin    Misc     10.0, Dynamics, Great, Microsoft, Overview, Plains, Remote, Support

Microsoft Great Plains ERP has rich accounting and business processes automation functionality, however in this small article we would like to concentrate on remote support, version upgrade, technical problem solving scenarios and if you need to get info on specific GP modules features: GL, SOP, POP, etc. please find it in others GP related materials, such as module user manuals, whitepapers

1. ERP remote support technologies in general. Web session tools, such as gotomeeting, allow ERP consultants, being remote, lead web presentation, when your users, supposedly sitting in one conference room at your office and watching projected to the wall screen computer monitor. Web session allows consultant to take mouse and keyboard control as well as give it back to trainees

2. Phone conferencing. If you are in the same country, you can typically use your regular office phone and call to conference supporting phone from gotomeeting or other web conferencing service provider. If you are in several countries, the best and cost efficient solutions might be internet telephony, such as skype: if your remote users have skype ID – this is all you need to get everyone in the conference

3. Problem Solving advises. As, regardless of theoretical efficiency of web conferences, your human face-to-face interaction is to some extent restricted, there should be nurtured the culture of well structured technical questioning. For example, try to be very specific: what exactly you were doing, what error message you received (provide screen shots of error messages) – this technique will let technical support engineer to skip “clarification” phase and go down to the problem solving immediately

4. Version upgrade, data fixing remote support technologies. Web session being good for user training, is probably not optimal solution for day-to-day data repair tasks. Web session requires both sides to be in the session, which is not really required for data fixing scenarios – you as GP user, describe the issue and remote support technician will connect to your desktop remotely and will fix the problem when he will have this task to be scheduled by manager. Remote desktop technologies typically include VPN connection and Remote Desktops.

5. Customization Support and Design remotely. Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics GP has its own proprietary modification technology – Microsoft Dexterity, it can be developed remotely on local testing system, however in order to debug Dex customizations on your test environment, Dexterity installation on your remote connection server is recommended – this will reduce programmers getting-into-project curve

6. Version update hints. GP is currently on version 10.0 and if you are on earlier version: 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0 or 9.0 – you should make your homework on upgrade scenarios. One of the examples would be migration from Pervasive SQL 2000 (former Btrieve) or Ctree/Faircom to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, or 2000

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Great Plains Dexterity – Microsoft Dynamics Gp Customization Technology

admin    Misc     Customization, Dexterity, Dynamics, Great, Microsoft, Plains, Technology

If you remember ERP players in 1990th, you would probably remember the technology trends and stakes: nobody could really say which OS will win: MS Windows, MAC, SUN Solaris, UNIX; plus nobody could also predict which DB platform will stay: MS SQL Server, Sybase, IBM DB2, Oracle, or somebody else. This was the IT environment, when Dex was designed and introduced as Great Plains Software Dynamics development environment, programming language (Sanscript) and customization technology. Addressing computer industry challenges, it was built on the following principles: OS and DB platform independence and as the proposed subsequence – longevity. Microsoft Dexterity currently is the basis for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, the latest version, it absorbed new technological features and trends: COM objects, ability to be integrated with Sharepoint, SQL Server Stored Procedures calls, and others

1. Programming in Dexterity. Dex is not technically Object Oriented language, so it is really hard to program Dex by example, as you would expect in the case of C# or VB.Net. Plus Dexterity is associated with Microsoft Great Plains architecture, this is why programming Dexterity requires several years of GP technical support experience, including GP data fixing with SQL scripts, data conversion, where you feed data from legacy MRP system to GP tables. You should also be familiar with major GP screens: SOP entry, GL transaction, POP Purchase Order, Inventory item maintenance.

2. DYNAMICS.DIC. This is Dexterity built dictionary, please be assured, that Dexterity source code is stripped out and as a programmer you will not find there procedures and functions scripts. In order to analyze Dex power and functionality, please review Dexterity manuals, available on Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 CDs

3. Custom and Alternate Dynamics forms. Dexterity architecture allows you to build new forms, as well as modify existing ones. Alternate forms are typically the issue in GP version upgrade, so we recommend you to avoid existing form modification option. Instead you should consider Dex triggers to work with existing forms and modify logic with the trigger

4. Extender. eOne version of extender allows you to deploy Dex power not being Dexterity developers, however you should expect limitations

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Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics Gp Implementation Checklist

admin    Misc     Checklist, Dynamics, Great, Implementation, Microsoft, Plains

If your organization is researching Great Plains purchasing and installation options, we would like to give you highlights. Current version of GP is 10.0 as of October 2007, version upgrades are outside of the scope of this article, where we would like to concentrate on ERP implementation options and scenarios. We also intended to write it in FAQ manner with bullets and checkmarks:

1. Switching over to GP from legacy accounting system. If you are controller or chief accountant, we understand this question is very important. The switch is typically done via data conversion (with master records migration, or in required cases even historical transaction data move), or initial GL balances entry posting and moving ahead (in some cases customers want to maintain legacy MRP and GP in parallel for one month to reassure reliability). If you are small business owner, where previously you were maintaining your accounting records in Excel, data massage and conversion are probably not relevant to your situation and you are ready for “fresh” Great Plains software licenses purchasing and standard implementation. Data conversion is always not an easy thing for mid-market ERP packages, such as GP, so you should not hope on moving all your history to Great Plains and keep legacy ERP for data inquiry.

2. Where to shop for the implementing? Microsoft Dynamics subdivision is deploying the model of GP licenses selling and implementation through MBS partner channel, so you will need to select Microsoft Great Plains implementation company satisfying your criteria. You should also be familiar with ERP support model – Microsoft and other ERP vendors (Oracle, SAP, Sage) require you to pay annual fee, in the case of GP it is annual enhancement program, which typically is from 16 to 25%, depending on your support quality ambitions

3. GP integration overview. Great Plains has end user tool, Integration Manager, which should cover most of your possible integration needs, if you feel that IM doesn’t do the job for you, you should explore GP Dexterity, eConnect, SQL scripting, EDI. There are also new blends of GP development options, addressed to MS Visual Studio developer, however most of them have eConnect at the background. If you are thinking about eCommerce programming for GP you should be aware that eConnect doesn’t have posting functionality, meaning that you can not post Sales Order Processing invoices from your e-commerce application with eConnect – you will need Albaspectrum posting server extension

4. Reporting for GP. SRS is rising star (Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services), however the most popular reports are still made in GP ReportWriter, which is Dexterity module for GP. Second in popularity is Crystal Reports, where you typically base GP report on SQL Server stored procedure or view

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Integration Options for Microsoft Great Plains – Overview

admin    Misc     Great, Integration, Microsoft, Options, Overview, Plains

ERP is typically considered as the platform, open for custom integrations, software development, reporting, EDI. Implementation and deployment requires interoperability with multiple computer systems, including legacy applications. Microsoft Dynamics GP, current version 10.0 as of October 2007, has excellent chances to fit your mid-size and even large corporate business requirements. However as you can expect MS Dynamics GP implementation scope goes beyond the software installation, beginning balances entry and users training, we would like to arm you with some initial knowledge about Microsoft Great Plains integration scenarios and options:

1. Great Plains Integration Manager. This tool is very powerful and it is not difficult to get training and become IM professional and support various integrations within your organization as the member of IT team. If you as programmer have VB and VBA skills, IM opens new horizons of integration opportunity for you: you can extend integrations with VBA scripts, allowing you to intercept standard integration logic and. Example – you can change integrated invoice date, based on integration date – make it, let’s say be the first day of the following week. The most popular scenario is when IM works with text tab delimited files, however you can build integration on ODBC connection. Classical example of IM question is how to build integration for GL transactions, based on one file? If you familiarize yourself with grouping techniques, you will get this job done. Sometimes we hear low performance complains – IM in some of its integration components is OLE server, using GP workstation to do the job behind the scenes, this why performance might be disappointing. If IM is too slow for your requirements, read further

2. eConnect integrations. If you are GP user, eConnect is not for you, it is for Microsoft Visual Studio developers: C#, VB is not really important, as you can call eConnect stored procedures from all .Net languages. If IM performance is the concern, eConnect should be doing faster integration, however do not expect things to be 100% perfect: eConnect sort of replicates Microsoft Dexterity business logic in its encrypted stored procedures. Dex is cursor based tool and eConnect has in some cases cursor-oriented logic

3. SQL Stored Procedures. When you need “immediate” transaction processing, both IM and eConnect might be too slow, in this case you kind of drop eConnect business logic validation (restricting your transaction to few simple patterns) and create simplified stored procedures, allowing you to integrate transactions with GP database

4. Posting Server. Albaspectrum Posting Server allows you to break through eConnect restrictions to post GP batches and post batches directly from your eCommerce application

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Custom Emailing for Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics Gp: Sql Mail

admin    Misc     custom, Dynamics, Emailing, Great, Mail, Microsoft, Plains

For Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP you can deploy Business Portal and BP module – Electronic Document Delivery, however it is not available for GP Business Ready product line, where you have to go for custom solution. In this small article we recommend you to use MS SQL 2005 mail: xp_sendmail extended stored procedure. Another requirement is to use Adobe PDF Writer (version is not important, whatever is compatible with Windows XP an Vista will do the job):

1. SQL Mail setup. The easiest way to setup SQL mail is to launch SQL Server service under windows domain account. Then you install MS Office Outlook client on the server (MAPI application), make it work for Windows domain login – virtually sending and receiving email. In order to be sure that you are done with SQL email setup, open MS SQL Server query and try to send probe email: xp_sendmail ‘john@gmail.com’, ‘Test’;

2. Email attachment problem and work around. Well if you will try to use non-sa user to call xp_sendmail with attachment, something like the following: xp_sendmail ‘john@gmail.com’, ‘Test’, @attachments=’C:\invoice.pdf’ – you will get error message, where it will recommend you to use impersonated windows account to work with attachments. Seems like SQL 2005 has some internal issues with SQL login impersonation, and at this time (December 2007) it simply putting doesn’t work. Work around is the following: create SQL job which will be running under sa account and will be calling xp_sendmail, schedule this job to run, say every 10 minutes, and it will check all the documents to be ready to be emailed to your customers with attachments

3. Adobe PDF Writer. Microsoft Dynamics GP requires you to use Adobe PDF Writer to save documents, such as SOP Invoices and Sales Orders to the file. You may think to try using free third party PDF printing solutions, such as Cute PDF, however this approach doesn’t work with current and historical versions of Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics GP: 6.0, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0

4. Great Plains ReportWriter forms: SOP Blank, Long and Short forms. Here you want to place your company logo, please review Microsoft Dynamics GP guidelines for your graphical logo format to have it printed smoothly and professionally. If you would need several different logos on your invoice form, you should consider deploying blank, short and long SQP invoice forms to do the job – actually you could make them all these three forms the same, just with different logos

5. Alternatives to SQL Mail. You can consider Sendmail Windows utility or Telnet. Both of them tend to rely on Linux and Unix features and skills, so technical discussion fells out of scope for this tiny article

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Great Plains Consultant Los Angeles News: Gp Integration With Microsoft Rms

admin    Misc     Angeles, Consultant, Great, Integration, Microsoft, News, Plains

Microsoft Retail Management System or RMS fits to mid-size retailers and as doing its job in this segment it often requires, or better say needs, integration with back office accounting system.  For mid-market ERP role is often played by Microsoft Dynamics GP or Great Plains.  Out of the box Great Plains has integration with RMS on General Ledger level and it does the job if this is just what you need.  But if you would like to control your sales and inventory in Great Plains, then you need more advanced integration.  In this small publication we would like to give you technical and functional highlights:

 

1.       Microsoft SQL Server DB platform.  Both applications deploy MS SQL Server: Dynamics GP and RMS (Headquarters and Store Operations).  This opens such integration programming tool as SQL Stored Procedures.

 

2.       Great Plains Integration Manager option.  If you have moderate level of retail transactions, then you can consider deploying GP Integration Manager with some VBA scripting, where you import daily sales and then in VBA mark these transactions as being exported.  Another option is to send day from and day to as parameters.  This IM approach is very reliable, however it requires operator intervention to launch integration.  If you have IT programmers, who can automate IM call on macros level, or deploy the tool, sold separately by Microsoft Business Solutions through GP partner channel – then you can achieve complete automation level even with Integration Manager

 

3.       Alba Spectrum GP RMS Integration.  This product is very flexible and is written in SQL stored procedures.  You can target either GP Sales Order Processing module (where Inventory control side is needed) or directly Receivable Management (where the only concern is proper GL distribution, driven by RMS Items classification).  It also addresses Purchase Order Processing side.  It is probably very difficult to define standard logic in Great Plains to RMS integration, this is why this specific integration can be considered as Solution, which should be further customized and tuned to your specific integration requirements

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Microsoft Great Plains Integration Scenarios – Edi, Ecommerce

admin    Misc     Ecommerce, Great, Integration, Microsoft, Plains, Scenarios

Microsoft Dynamics GP, successor of Great Plains Software Dynamics and eEnterprise is very popular ERP platform, deployed as accounting back office and integrated with various business management system. Among the most typical scenarios of GP MRP integration are Electronic Document Interface EDI and eCommerce. Let’s consider and compare the methodologies, integration and software development tools, programming techniques and customization option

1. EDI. Electronic Document Interchange is relatively matured technology and typically it is realized in the form of fixed length text formatted files or text streams. Newer approach may consider new generation of similar to EDI in concept XML streams. When we are talking about GP, we should expect two types of EDI integrations – when you are vendor (in this case you receive EDI formatted either Sales Order Processing orders or invoices or Accounts Receivables invoices); and when you are customer (in this case you place EDI purchase orders to your vendors). From the technology standpoint, EDI is not really difficult in standard and even custom realization and programming. Microsoft Dynamics GP, starting with version 8.0, is supported on the only DB platform – Microsoft SQL Server. Current version of Microsoft Great Plains is 10.0, available on MS SQL Server 2005 or 2000. You program EDI streams with SQL select command, and you format text fields with cast or convert constructions. When you import external EDI streams you, it is when you create SOP Invoices, you should consider utilizing eConnect

2. eCommerce. If you are e-commerce programmer, please invest your time in eConnect technology learning. You probably heard about eConnect and about the fact that it was dedicated initially to e-commerce software developers. We would like to sort of popularize eConnect and say this – if you do eCommerce integration from scratch, you have to feed eCommerce orders and invoices into GP tables: SOP10100, SOP10200. However, you should know that eConnect already has this job done for you in eConnect business objects – encrypted stored procedures. There are several situations when you should break through eConnect restrictions. First one is the fact that eConnect replicates Dexterity business logic (DYNAMICS.DIC is Microsoft Dexterity dictionary, where all the core modules business logic is stored) and even trusting astonishing SQL Server performance, you can still have concerns that eConnect might be a bit slow, if you transactions volume crosses thousand records per session. If eConnect performance is in question, you may consider doing simplified integration in SQL stored procedures using insert into logic. The second eConnect limitation is absence of posting logic – in order to post SOP batches you will need to deploy Albaspectrum posting server

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ERP Version Upgrade: Microsoft Great Plains Example and General Notes

admin    Misc     Example, General, Great, Microsoft, Notes, Plains, Upgrade, Version

If you have been using your accounting and MRP application for the long time without investing into version update, now it might be time for you to consider getting updated. Assuming that you represent mid-size enterprise, you should expect that corporate ERP version upgrade is something that you should build the strong action plan for – to avoid your ERP shutdown time and possible rollbacks, if things are not going as expected. Additional considerations should be given to the situation when you have third party or custom-made modules: reports, integrations, EDI, etc. Let’s review what you should expect:

1. ERP annual maintenance plan. Nowadays software industry deploys this practice, when your purchase of MRP system just opens the door to ERP implementation, following support, access to newest versions, etc. Naturally, all these benefits have a cost for software development company and they are typically translated to you in the form of ERP annual enhancement program. Check with your ERP partner that you are current in this plan

2. Cross-platform integrations upgrade. In our opinion, ERP customers spend extra funds in cross platform scenarios, such as when their Sales Order Processing system is hosted in Linux/PHP environment and ERP application is Microsoft SQL Server and Windows based, here you should also recognize that MRP upgrade process requires IT person or programmer, who is comfortable with both platform: UNIX and Microsoft Windows in our example

3. Microsoft Dynamics GP upgrade scenarios. GP customizations, especially legacy ones were typically done in Great Plains Dexterity IDE and sanscript programming language. Reporting tools: FRx, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services or SRS, GP ReportWriter (where you modify such popular reports as SOP Blank Invoice Form) and Crystal Reports; eConnect opens the door to Microsoft Visual Studio .Net C# or VB developer to the realm of GP objects: customers, vendors, employees, GL transactions, Sales and Vendor Invoices

4. ERP rollback rescue. Obviously, we are optimists, however we should consider contingency plans, where we roll back to old positions. In the case of corporate ERP version update, rollback may cause substantial business opportunity loss

5. Switching from one ERP to another. When you have been operating on ERP A, it is not easy to switch to ERP B as it typically triggers fullscale data conversion and migration, employee retraining, custom logic reprogramming

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